Ministry guitarist Sinhue ‘Sin’ Quirin hopes to inspire youngsters in his hometown
The first time Ministry guitarist Sinhue “Sin” Quirin played in public was during an eighth-grade talent show at what was then John Muir Junior High School in Burbank. The Media City native has toured all over the world since then and played at numerous venues, but one site holds a special place in his heart.
On Aug. 10 and 11, 2007, Quirin and Ministry lead vocalist Al Jourgensen had the opportunity to play alongside rock band Cheap Trick at the Hollywood Bowl to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
To commemorate the special occasion, guitar maker Schecter sent Quirin a one-of-a-kind Corsair guitar with a custom paint job to use for the concerts, during which they performed a cover of the Beatles’ classic, “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).”
“I only used that guitar for those two sold-out shows,” Quirin said.
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Nearly 10 years after those performances, Quirin’s custom Schecter will be on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood. At 5 p.m. Saturday, the restaurant will host an unveiling of Quirin’s musical memorabilia, which he has not seen in about three years, when Quirin decided to donate the custom guitar to the restaurant. However, instead of being it displayed at the Hollywood location, the guitar was sent to the company’s corporate office in Florida.
“They were going to put it on display somewhere else, but we fought to try and get it back to my hometown and so it’s finally here,” Quirin said.
Despite having played at venues big and small, Quirin, who still lives in Burbank, said that playing with Cheap Trick at the Hollywood Bowl, which was his first and only time performing at that venue, was the most memorable place he has performed.
“It’s a big thing for me because I grew up playing the Whiskey [A Go Go], the Troubadour, the Roxy and all that stuff,” he said. “To play two sold-out nights at the Hollywood Bowl was really big for me … It has a lot of sentimental value to me. You do certain shows that stick with you for the rest of your life and those two Bowl shows will always be ingrained in my brain.”
Quirin said that he is fortunate to have performed at his dream venue and to have the guitar he played those nights displayed for all to see.
Today, the Grammy-nominated artist is looking to keep giving back to the community, saying he hopes he gets the opportunity to go back to John Muir Middle School and Burbank High School, his alma mater, to talk with students about how they can achieve their goals and dreams.
As a self-proclaimed band geek, Quirin said he remembers taking all the music classes both schools had to offer and participating in marching band, jazz band and any other musical program the schools provided. He attributes his success to his time at John Muir and Burbank High.
“Those schools are always going to mean the world to me because that’s where I first started out and set me on my path,” he said. “I’d like to, at some point, go to John Muir or Burbank High and talk to kids about my experiences with them. I’ve been clean and sober my entire life — never drank, never smoked, never done any drugs. I’m at a point in my life where I want to give back and show kids that they’re able to follow their dreams.”
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
